You Must Rule Them
by bono-212
Summary: Sarah is left wondering what will happen to the Gobln Kingdom, if Jareth is really trapped as an owl. Will they fall into chaos, or is there some heir to the throne? She is not left to wonder long, however, when she discovers the truth behind her actions.
1. At the Party

**A/N: I know that you shouldn't do this, but I have ****_no_**** idea where this story is going. I just felt like writing a Labyrinth fic since I'd been reading so many lately. Plus, I really want to write more. I have my own fiction that I am trying to write and doing this is going to help me work out my writing style a little bit at a time. Plus, plus, my only other fanfic is in a section that doesn't get a lot of traffic, and I crave reviews ;).**

**So, don't be surprised if this story ends up taking unexpected twists along the way. I'll try and map it out more as I go. Getting something going at all is the first step on that road.**

As the party continued into the night, Sarah couldn't help but wonder what the future would hold for her new friends. As far as she could tell, her refusal of the Goblin King had changed him into his owl form, seemingly permanently. Who would lead them after this? Every country needs a ruler, some form of guidance, especially these hopeless Goblins.

"Sawah, dance!" Ludo could only see that his most cherished friend was looking sad while everyone around her was having a wonderful time, celebrating her victory. He took Sarah in his big fluffy arms and began spinning her around the room.

She giggled with delight at the big beast's thoughtfulness, but suddenly her mind brought her back to a moment, not long removed from the one she was in currently.

The Bubble.

He loved her. And she knew it then, when he looked at her with those hopeful eyes. Those strange eyes. He held her and danced with her. It was a situation that had left her breathless. If she had not seen that clock - no, she didn't want to think about that.

But here she was, dancing with Ludo finding herself trapped in reminiscence. For the sake of the beast, she continued to smile at him.

Ludo wasn't exactly Fred Astaire, however, and the turns grew tighter and tighter in her small bedroom. Sarah was growing dizzy. Thankfully, another friend was there to save her. "Get owf her ya' big lug! She looks like she's abowt ter vomit." Ludo quickly backed away from Sarah, looking sad.

"Sawah, sick?" He asked, his eyes glistening a bit from remorse.

"No, no, Ludo, I'm fine, thank you so much for the dance." She smiled at him and Ludo grinned wide, his fangs showing fully. With that, he bounded off to join Sir Didymus and Ambrosius with the other party-goers. "Thank you, Hoggle, you definitely saved me a mess there." Again she leaned down and gave her dear friend, her knight a kiss on the cheek.

Hoggle looked down and shuffled his feet. "Twernt nothin', Sarah. I just didn't want ter have ter leave the party early'z all." He looked back at her and smiled. "After all, it's not everyday that the Goblin Kingdom gets isself a new leader."

"A new leader?" Sarah looked down at her friend confused.

"Well what did'jer think was going ter happen once you went and ousted the king?" He looked at her like this was the most obvious thing in the world.

"But I, I didn't do that. I just saved my brother." She was not liking where this conversation was going. If she was the one who removed the Goblin King from his throne then that meant...

"Yer saved yer brother, and defeated the Goblin King. You destroyed Jareth's magic when you popped that ther bubble. He can't return, less you let him. You have his power now." Hoggle looked at Sarah confused. He thought she'd be as excited as everyone else that she was going to be able to return to the Goblin Kingdom with them and rule. They could see each other everyday. Maybe she'd never feel the same way about him that he did her, but he could live with that, if he could see Sarah all the time.

Sarah, on the other hand, was devastated, "But my friends, my family. School...My LIFE! No, no, we have to get Jareth back."

"Shh, shh don't say 'is name. He's near. Wouldn't want 'im thinkin' he's welcome here." Hoggle looked around the room as though the deposed Goblin King might appear at any moment.

"No, Hoggle, that's exactly what I want, I want the Goblin King to come here right now." In fact, she thought, secretly smiling to herself, "I wish the Goblin King were here, in this room...

..._Right Now_."


	2. Outside, in the Trees

**A/N: When I'm coming up with stories, I like to spend the time before I fall asleep dreaming up different scenarios. Last night, this caused me to _actually_ dream that I was fishing in the Labyrinth and caught what was called a "hippo bass". It was a boxy bass fish that looked like a hippo. I was supposed to be explained what it was and its purpose by The Goblin King, but alas, my question was never answered and now I don't know what to do with this strange grey creature. **

**Anyways, these chapters, I know they're short. If I can keep them short for now, the story is going to develop better in the long run, I promise. Plus, I'll update more frequently. So enjoy, and forgive me the short time of fun I offer you. **

The barn owl stat on the branch outside the house, watching the cruel party inside. _His_ people, celebrating their king's downfall. Most of them were only there because they were too stupid to do otherwise, he knew. A party is a party to a goblin, no matter what it's cause. Nevertheless, he knew he'd have them all bogged, if he still had the power to do anything.

If he had any power at all.

But he didn't, he had no power over her, he had no power over anyone. He was an owl and an owl he would forevermore be, lest his champion should find it within her heart to save him.

_You knew the consequences of what you did_.

The owl shot his head to the side, knowing full well that the voice came from inside himself.

_You knew that she would rule you if you offered her everything and she denied it. _

The owl shot his head back to the left, as the other side of his inner voice spoke up.

_I didn't think she would deny me. I offered her _everything_._

Back to the right the little owl's head spun. _You offered a kingdom and an adult love to a 16-year-old, human girl. You knew._

Jareth, in his mind alone knew this was true: He knew the ways of mortals, he had worked among them for more than centuries at this point. He knew that in this era of humanity, a 16-year-old girl was still a child. A confused, maturing child, but a child none-the-less. That confusion even more likely to cause her to deny him.

And deny him she had. And now, here he was, bound to her side as this, this _creature_. Trapped unless she said the words to free him.

He was no longer the Goblin King. He was Jareth. Just Jareth. Jareth the Owl, Jareth the Ignorant, Jareth the Fallen, Jareth the Powerless. Jareth, the Former Goblin King.

The owl screeched into the night in pain, but all he got in return was the hooting of those his own kind.

The storm was beginning to pick up again, and Jareth struggled to decide where to go. Would his new Queen be willing to let him in, would he even be able to ask?

_NO! _The voice on the right shouted into his brain with force, _No! We will not bow to her, we will not cave to her_.

_But she defeated us, _this time the left, _perhaps she'll at least have some mercy, after all, we don't know the first thing about being an owl._

_We do not need mercy. We are strong and we will survive this. We need time now, time for a plan. We _will_ get our powers back, we will _not _kneel before a human._

The Owl spun his head back to the left, beginning to grow dizzy, _Not even the human that we love?_

_Do we still love her? _Spoke the voice on the right.

_I believe we still do._ The owl turned left again, and then immediately back to the right

_We will see. We will not offer ourselves a second time. And now, what do we even have to offer?_

Before the voice on the left could respond, which likely would have caused the owl enough dizziness to fall off of the tree branch, the sound of crushing thunder filled the air. The owl buried its head as far into its body as it could and shuffled its little claws further into the protection of the tree. Into the spot where all the branches met at the trunk, offering him the most coverage possible from the giant drops of rain that were beginning to fall to the ground.

Before the owl drifted off into a troubled sleep, again the voice on the right said, _We will get our powers back. There must be a way_.

The tiny owl shuddered at the thoughts his darker half were slipping into. As he slept, he began to dream the darkest dreams.


	3. The Party Winds Down

**A/N: Well, I know _where_ this story is going now. It came to me all at once this morning while I was studying my Japanese. No ending yet, but I think we might have ourselves the groundwork for a nice plot. I really wanted to write more in his chapter, but I've started a pace of nice short chapters and I'm not ready to change that now. It just means you'll get more updates, hopefully. As long as I have final exams, I'll need all the distraction I can get :). I'm going to try to keep the updates to once a day at least, no matter how badly I want to write the next chapter right now. Saves me from burning out too fast, and it keeps you coming back for more :) Thank you all who are already following this story, I can't tell you what those e-mail alerts mean to me. **

Sarah stared at the party of creatures from the Underworld, dancing and cavorting as if nothing were wrong. "Nothing happened." She had expected glitter, puffs of smoke and most importantly, one wild-haired Goblin King standing before her. Instead, everything was just as it had been. Sarah felt a bit of embarrassed blush start to fill her cheeks.

"Ther might be two reasons fer that, yer majesty," Hoggle knew he didn't have to call her that just yet, but he figured if he started now, maybe she would adjust sooner. He noticed her flash a glare at him for the honorific, regardless. "Tha first possibility is, The Goblin King don't grant just any old wish. Yer gots to be wishin' someone away fer the Goblin King to respond." He looked at Sarah pointedly and she noticed a sly smile begin to play on his wide mouth. "Tha second possibility, is, of course, that Jareth ain't tha Goblin King no more. He's just Jareth." He spat on the ground at the speaking of his enemy and former king's name.

Sarah paused for a moment in her own contemplations to wonder why it was that Hoggle seemed to despise his ruler...strike that, old ruler so very much. It wasn't time to think of that, now, however. She needed Jareth. She needed someone to explain all of this to her. Something told her Hoggle wasn't going to do that. "Hoggle, if I am now the Goblin Queen, then I can do magic as well? Could I summon Jareth here?"

"Oh, sure, you'll learn magic. When we return to the court, the King of the Underground will be there, waitin' to coronate'cha." His features darkened a bit. "But'cha don't want ta be summonin' that creature here, he's best left where he is."

She barely caught the second thing he said. _Coronation? King of the Underground? _What was she getting herself into. It was all too much. "Coronation? So, I'm not really the Goblin Queen yet?"

"Only in the most official of senses, yer Majesty. In everyone's eyes, yer as good as queen already."

"But I don't know the first thing about being a queen. I don't live in that kind of world. Here, I'm just a girl, I've only _just_ started high school. I can barely take care of myself, and you want me to take care of an entire kingdom?" She began to pace around the room, looking at all of her childhood memorabilia. Sure, she was a little old for some of this stuff, but she was certainly not old enough for what they asked of her. She picked up the doll on her desk. Only now was she noticing just how much it looked like Jareth. "Wait, how can..." she whispered to herself, lost in the realization that a lot of her stuff looked like things she'd seen in the Underground.

"Don't _worry_, Sarah. There will be all kinds of people around to teach ya what'cha need ter learn. How do ya think Jareth got to where he was? Kingdom fell to 'im just the same way after all." Sarah flipped around to look at the Dwarf in shock. Hoggle realized he probably should have left that part out. It was too much to give away too soon.

Sarah was just about to demand more information from Hoggle when the storm picked up enough fury to drown out the merrymaking. The Goblins all scattered around the room, seeking shelter from the noise. Many of Sarah's precious objects were knocked to the floor and broken as Goblins went to hide in her bookcases and other hiddy holes throughout the room. Ambrosius flew under her bed, knocking it off of its legs momentarily as the noble steed cowered in fear. Hoggle even went to hide behind Sarah as the power in the room went out.

It was one of those peels of thunder that went on for more than just a few seconds and Sarah could hear the sound of chattering Goblin teeth in its wake. For a few moments, that was the only sound that could be heard in the room, until a second crack of thunder announced itself, louder than the last. That was when the torrential downpour began. "I think we should get back ter the Underground. T'ain't safe here."

"You want me to leave Toby with this storm outside? What will my parents think if they get home and I'm gone?" Remembering her brother asleep in the next room, she desperately wanted to go to him and make sure that he was OK. With all the noise from the party and now the storm, she wouldn't have been able to hear him cry and she was feeling pretty bad about that right at the moment.

"Aw, come now Sarah, did'jer think that I'd forgotten about 'im? We'll leave a few Goblin's ter watch over 'im and yer parents'll be none-the-wiser. Anyone who must take up their rightful place in the Undergrounds past life in the Aboveground will be taken care of. Some people will think that yer went to school somewhere else. Others, distant acquaintances, will simply not remember ya." Hoggle didn't want to say the next part, but he knew she would ask.

"And my family?" She did ask, not wanting toknow as much as he didn't want to tell.

"They'll remember ya. Can't be helped. Some memories are too strong ta erase. But they won't ever remember ya bein' gone. There'll always be some reason to excuse yer absence. School far away, marriage, business, it'll be a glamour on them, forever."

That didn't sound _so_ bad to Sarah, but she still couldn't bear the thought of leaving for good. There had to be a way out of this. If she went, just for a while, maybe she could find out enough information to get Jareth back on the throne, or at least someone else besides herself. Someone that would take care of the Goblins. Regardless, she was _not_ ready to go yet. Plus, she suddenly remembered something Hoggle had said earlier that evening. She had some unfinished business to take care of.

"Just one more night, Hoggle. Let me stay here with Toby. Please? I promise, I'll join you all in the Underground in the morning." She looked at him, hoping her eyes were projecting pleading and not the plotting she was currently hatching in her brain.

Hoggle gave his new Queen an exasperated sign, "I suppose. The Goblin Kingdom won't crumble in a night, but the King of the Underground ain't gonna be too happy bout this. He hates ter wait." She swooped Hoggle up in her arms and spun him around in a tight hug.

"Oh thank you, Hoggle. I won't forget this." She gave him one more kiss on the cheek, hoping it would put him in the daze she was expecting. He was looking pretty lovestruck to her, so she pressed her luck. "Oh, and Hoggle, just so I can watch out: You said Jareth was nearby, do you know _where_ he is?"

The dwarf would have done anything for Sarah at the moment, so he thought nothing of her question and simply pointed to her window, "He's outside, in that there tree. Can't stay away from yer, he's bound to his champion." Sarah sat Hoggle down on the floor and smiled at him sadly. She'd hated taking advantage of him, but she knew he'd have likely not told her otherwise.

"Thank you Hoggle, I promise, I'll keep an eye out. Now, you'd better get back to the Underground. I don't want these Goblins to die of fright. You have to take care of them while I'm gone."

Hoggle was full of pride at being put in charge and he gathered the Goblins up together, "Come on ya snivellin' creatures, we gots to go prepare the castle for the new Queen!" The Goblins cheered behind him and they all headed towards the mirror. Hoggle took up the rear, looking back at Sarah one last time, "First thing tomorrer, I'll be back for ya."

She nodded solemnly. She'd have to find a way out of this, she just had no idea _what_ that way was. But maybe...maybe the visitor out in her tree could somehow help.


	4. In the Bedroom, After the War

**A/N: Hello all! I can't tell you what the reviews and follows mean to me. Every time I see that e-mail alert on my phone while I'm at work, I smile so very wide. You guys are getting me back into the swing of writing and I can't thank you enough.**

**Now for the "bad" news: This chapter was going to be longer, but I have tendinitis. My hand is in a brace, so typing is really hard. However, I really want to get the groundwork and ball rolling on this by the end of the week, so I pushed through and wrote something for you tonight. It just means that this chapter is broken up into two parts basically. Hope that's OK. Things are going to really get moving soon.**

Jareth awoke on the hill at the beginning of the Labyrinth.

_Home!_ It was all just a dream. Some sort of after effect of his defeat. Very well, he could take his licks when he had earned them. It was time to return home.

First, Jareth attempted to leave by his normal method, teleportation, but he found himself unable. Usually, he could just picture the destination he desired to be at and _poof!_ there he was. But now? Now, he pictured the throne room, his beloved throne, the place where he went to escape the serious parts of his life and amuse himself with the antics of the Goblins. He pictured it, and that was all. He was still here, at the beginning of the Labyrinth.

_Very well, _he thought, _maybe I have to traverse the Labyrinth first, to claim it once more_. With this thought in mind, he confidently strode towards the entrance to his once beloved wonder.

It wasn't but five feet before he slammed nose-first into some invisible wall, preventing him from beginning his journey. Jareth bounced off in shock, nose beginning to bleed already, and fell into the dirt, the tight grey pants he wore becoming instantly covered in the substance. He looked about in embarrassed shock, hoping no one had seen.

_Well, what the bloody hell am I supposed to do in that case_? He stood back up and began to retreat back up the hill, but his way was blocked after only two feet, but at least this time he had walked with his hands firmly planted in front of him. He stomped the ground in frustration, feeling like a petulant child. Turning to his left, he barely made one step before the walls denied him. Now, Jareth was beginning to grow more than just a little weary. Now, Jareth was beginning to feel downright frightened.

The sky grew dark, and Jareth looked up to see rather intimidating grey/black thunderheads forming above him. He felt the first plops of rain strike his face and his fear grew into terror.

There was no room to move now, he was stuck simply standing there, watching the rain form puddles at his feet. Soon the gentle rain grew into a torrential downpour and it was as Jareth feared: The puddles were also bound within his invisible prison and were quickly gaining on him. It was a matter of mere minutes before he found in it up to his waist. Jareth clawed desperately at the walls, but there was no give. He focused all of his energy into the formation of a crystal, but that power, too, had been robbed him. He was growing tired from his thrashing and tried to regain the calm. The rising waterline wasn't helping matters and he soon found himself floating away from the ground.

_How long can I float_, he wondered to himself, but a more terrifying thought interrupted. Jareth extended his arm up as high as he could and whatever mental endurance he had left snapped: His fingers had brushed a ceiling. With no hope to cling to, Jareth found himself sinking into the murky water, sinking, sinking sinking...

* * *

The Owl awoke, startled from the dream and drenched from the tireless storm. He shook his feathers out the best he could and tried to squirm further back into the tree. There was little room left to go. _Great, out of one wet nightmare and into _this_ glorious reality_. Jareth was beginning to rethink tapping his beak on Sarah's window, when the very thing began to move.

Intrigued, but weary of those at the party who knew of his weakened state, Jareth edged out along the branch.

"Goblin Ki-Jareth! Are you out there?" Sarah looked around into the night, frantic to find the bird. She was sure he had some sort of pre-built survival instincts, but she didn't like the idea of her, potential, only hope being trapped outside in this mess. "Jareth, please! I need you!"

Sarah was looking around the tree, but it was hard to make out much in this rain. The water kept getting into her eyes, and she was forced to turn her head away from the wind.

But with his night vision, Jareth could see _her_.

_She wants us to come in! _Came the desperate, shaky voice on the left, _Oh come now, I'll bet it's warm and dry in there._

_And how do you know she doesn't just want to parade us about in front of all her little friends? _

As debates between Jareth's subconscious could often go, this one would likely have raged on much longer, had it not been for the gale that swooped down and knocked him from his branch. The whole of Jareth that controlled most of himself couldn't take being out here any longer. On shaky wings he could barely control, he flapped towards the open window.

Coming from below, Sarah did not see the owl's progression and when his clumsy ride brought him into her room, she mistook the owl for attacking her and she cried out in fright, falling to the floor. The owl swooped around, trying to see if she was OK, but Sarah again took this as a sign of attack and grabbed the nearest object she could find to swing in her defense. It just so happened to be the very statue she had admired for its resemblance to the Goblin King not long ago. She had no time to think of that now as she hauled off and swung for the fences at the Owl. Contact was made and he went flying into the opposite wall, sliding onto Sarah's bed, never understanding why she'd call to him and then attack him like this.

Sarah was just as shocked by her actions. "Oh!" she exclaimed, "Jareth! Are you OK? I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you! You frightened me." After closing the window, Sarah sat on her bed beside the dazed little owl. His dark eyes looked into hers, almost seeming like he could focus once more. Part of her wanted to pick the owl up and hug it to her and the other part remembered that inside, he was still Jareth, the monster that had, that very evening, kidnapped her brother and caused the problem she was now in. Instead, she opted for an excuse: "I'll be right back, why don't you take a bit of time to dry yourself, off? The heating vent is right over there," she pointed to a metal duct on the floor. "I need to go check on Toby."

The dark-haired girl was out of the room before the Owl had even managed to right himself. Looking after her, at the now closed door, he signed, head bobbing up and back down, and hopped off the bed. He fluttered to the floor and waddled to the vent. At least he was warm, but what was going to happen now?


	5. A Sort of Homecoming

**A/N: Ugh, accidentally closed the window. This is why you should write the stories inside the browser! Anyways, I wasn't very far in, it's OK. As I was saying, this should be the closing chapter of the introduction to this story. It'll be another shortish chapter, as my arm hurts worse today than it did yesterday, plus, it's really just the second half of the last chapter. I might take a few days off from writing this after today for two reasons: 1) Give my arm some rest 2) Shore up the rest of the story. **

**Thank you all so much for the views and reviews. I had no idea that some people felt so passionately about using the term "kidnap" in reference to what happened to Toby, lol, oh well. Now I'm driving myself crazy trying to decide whether to use the name Karen or Irene. You'll know my decision soon enough!**

**Onwards!**

* * *

Sarah stood outside her father's bedroom door. She so badly wanted to go see her brother, but a part of her was frightened as well. Would this be the last time she ever saw him? Earlier that day, she might have been OK with being taken off to a magic land, away from her family forever. Now? So much had changed in those 13 hours. Yesterday afternoon she was a whiny teenager, trapped in her fairy stories and wish to be her mother. She had hated watching after her brother, almost as much as she resented her step-mother for asking it of her.

Her hand rested on the door knob, her fingers twitching with a desire to turn the handle. She just couldn't walk into that room. What if he was sad, what if he needed her? _Stop being a coward, you've faced so much, you can do this. You're smart, you'll find a way back home again._ Right. Right. She _must_ make it back home. She had so much of her life left, and a new attitude towards it after all she had learned in the Labyrinth.

_Alright,_ she breathed deeply, exhaling slowly, _alright._ She turned the knob and walked in.

The little light the outside allowed made it difficult for her to see. After a time, her eyes began to adjust. When they did, she spotted her beloved brother, curled up with his newly acquired bear, thumb firmly in mouth. Sarah felt her body relax almost instantly. Somehow, she just knew in her heart, seeing him, so innocent and unafraid, that she could do this. She had something to fight for, she would be strong.

The next few minutes, Sarah spent in silence, gently stroking her brother's golden hair.

* * *

When Sarah returned to her room, the owl was sleeping soundly above her bed in her stuffed animal nook. As he would breath in, she could see his head bob up and then back down he would nestle into his shoulders as he breathed out. She sighed dramatically, wondering what to do with him.

"I wish the Goblin K-Jareth would turn back into his normal self." She tried, albeit half-heartedly. She wasn't shocked when nothing happened. Not even a fleck of glitter to be seen. Sarah plopped down on her bed, momentarily defeated. She laid out, still in the same clothes as earlier that evening, and stared at her ceiling. Her mind began to fill with pointless questions. What time is it? Why didn't the party wake up Toby? Where are dad and Karen? Each question was fairly easily answered. Her watch told her it was 4:17 AM, the party probably had magical protection, or else Toby had just been exhausted and her father and Karen probably stayed at a hotel because of the storm. They couldn't call because the power was out. With those mysteries solved, her brain began to wonder where she didn't want it to, the Underground.

_This could be fun for now at least_, she thought. _I'll learn magic, a new culture, I'll be able to see my friends whenever I want and, I mean, I'll be a Queen. What girl doesn't want that? _ This girl, a voice inside her spoke. She sighed again.

Sarah was pulled from her thoughts as she heard something rustling above her head. Jareth was awake.

The owl was momentarily confused, still not used to his new body or his new surroundings. _Oh. Right. I'm an owl. _If he could have scowled, he would have. Instead, he decided to attempt a conversation with Sarah. How he was going to do that, he was unsure, but he just felt like being near her might do him some good. His pride was screaming inside of him not to cower beside her, but he ignored it.

Fluttering from his perch, the owl began scuttling across the bed until he reached his destination beside the brooding teenager's head.

"Hello, Goblin King," Sarah addressed him, not moving much from her position, just shifting the head with her arms resting behind it to the left so she could look into his eyes. In the dark, they seemed to glow and she was finding herself lost in their dominating gaze. "I wish you could just tell me what to do. I don't want your kingdom. You seemed pretty OK at ruling it on your own."

The owl ruffled his feathers and looked as perturbed as an owl possibly could. How dare she suggest the he was merely an adequate ruler! His reign had been the longest the Goblin Kingdom had ever known. Why if it weren't for his gods-damned emotions, he'd _still_ _be_ its ruler.

Sarah giggled at his feathery umbrage. "I apologize, good owl, I never meant any disrespect. My thoughts are not themselves tonight." She thought she saw him relax, just a bit.

She returned her gaze to the ceiling, "It's going to be hard to keep up a conversation with you, I hope you don't mind if I talk too much."

Jareth would usually have discouraged the ramblings of a woman, but he appreciated being able to have something in his life right now he could count on. As long as Sarah wanted him nearby, he would listen to anything she had to say. There was also the fact that she had mentioned wanting to help him back onto his throne. He knew there was a way, and perhaps he could find some method of communicating it to her. He just hoped he could do it in time.

"Here's what I think. I think we should stick together. After tonight, I don't exactly _trust_ you, but I believe that you feel something for me. I'm sure I hurt you and I'm sure now the only thing on your mind is revenge. But, if you could find it in your heart to put that aside for now, then maybe we can work together to find a way out of this." She took a deep breath before voicing what she really felt, "After all, right now, I feel just as trapped as you physically are. Maybe you don't think so, since I can move and talk, but I have lost my life this evening as well. I think we'd both be happier if we could get back to the way things were."

The owl scooted beside her and gave her cheek a reassuring stroke with his beak. Maybe she could do things he no longer could, and maybe she was gaining all the power as he lost it, but he knew that, in her heart, her words were true. After all, if she had truly wanted the power and the kingdom, would she have denied his offer? He somehow doubted it. He had sensed in her a reciprocation of at least some of his feelings. They were confused feelings, though. She'd hardly known him any time and he had offered her so very much and she was so young-_Stop!_ _We can't keep doing this to ourselves or we're going to go mad. There's a good chance that's going to happen anyways, let's not speed it up_. The voice on the left had a point. There was no rebuttal from the voice on the right, so he assumed they were speaking of one accord.

Sarah was lost in her own stream of emotional thought. Jareth's motion of reassurance had awoken something in her. Some sense that she could put into no words, but she knew right then that something had begun to change. She turned fully onto her left side and looked at the little bird. "I think, Jareth...I think that maybe, after this is all through, we might manage to become friends. And you know something? I don't think I'd mind that much at all."

Jareth's little heart began beating quite quickly. He stepped a little closer to Sarah and she rested her head beside his little one. It was only a few moments later that she fell into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

"Alrigh m'lady, are ya ready ta go?" Hoggle climbed through the mirror and back into Sarah's bedroom. It was about 8:00 in the morning, and Sarah's parents had still not returned home. Hoggle surveyed the chaos of the room in the aftermath of the party. It really had been some shindig, he thought to himself, proudly. He had thrown the Queen a noble victory party, in fact he-his boastful thoughts were interrupted as his eyes fell on Sarah. "No...no, no NO!"

There was his new Queen, and cozied up in her arms was the last person on Earth or below Hoggle had wanted to see her with: The Owl.

Sarah yawned loudly and stretched herself awake, "Oh, good morning, Hoggle. Is it time to go already?" She noticed him staring at her, mouth agape, and she suddenly remembered her feathered bed-fellow. "Oh, uh, the storm was so bad, I uh, I didn't want him to get hurt." She blushed, somehow feeling that she had committed an atrocity in the eyes of her dear friend.

Ignoring Hoggle's stares, she quickly got up and grabbed some clothes. She almost started to dress herself, when she remembered the two male beings in the room with her. Turning around, she saw a sleepy-eyed owl and a mesmerized dwarf now _both_ staring at her. "Pervs," she mumbled and ran into the bathroom.

This left the two enemies in the room alone together. "You jus' stay away from her now. Do ya hear me? She don' need you interferin' in her business. Sarah'll be twice the ruler you were and what's more, she ain't gonna be a tyrant like you." Hoggle huffed to punctuate his sentence, and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

The owl simply ruffled up his feathers once more, unable to respond. He was finding it difficult to stop himself from launching at that dimwitted Hogsbreath. Something told him Sarah might not like that much.

Hoggle was seething at the sight of Jarath there in Sarah's bed. If Sarah began tagging along with Jareth, he might find a way to show her how to change him back. He couldn't have that. Not now. Not with Sarah so close to coming home. As these thoughts filled his mind, he began advancing on the owl, perched there on her dinosaur plush.

_Well, I tried to play nice,_ Jareth thought, as he saw the malice in the eyes of the approaching beast. As Hoggle launched, Jareth deftly flew out of his reach. He circled around the room and came flying back towards Hoggle, talons at the ready. He might have caused a good deal of damage if Sarah hadn't burst in right at that moment, screaming for him to, "Stop that! My goodness, I can't leave you two alone for a minute!"

They both whirled around to see her standing there, foot tapping impatiently. Hoggle looked ashamed, the bird simply stared, unable to show how proud he was of his minor victory.

Sarah grabbed a knapsack out of the closet and filled it with a few pictures of her family, some select books and other odds and ends. She briefly considered removing the red leather-bound book from the drawer she'd banished it to, but thought better of it. "I assume I will have clothes in the Underground?"

"Yes, yer majest." Came Hoggle's terse reply. He was still aggravated by everything that had happened.

"Very well, Jareth, are you ready?" The bird flew up and landed on Sarah's shoulder. Sarah then looked at Hoggle expectantly.

"Yer not bringin' him, are ya?" he sounded distinctly disgusted by the notion.

"Well of course. The Underground is his home, just as well as yours. I can't leave him here!" Without waiting for Hoggle's stunned reply, Sarah headed towards the mirror, nose in the air. She had to appear strong, even in front of her friends. This was it. She wouldn't give her room another look, she had decided on this.

With a tentative press to the mirror's surface, she pushed her arm through easily. _Here we go_.

Sarah stepped through the mirror and found herself back in the throne room of the Castle Beyond the Goblin City. _Here we go, indeed_.


	6. Take A Walk

**A/N: Alright! Semester's over, so this gives me way more time to work on this for you all. Hope you're enjoying. I love all of your reviews, they are certainly something I look forward to each day! Thank you so much with putting up with this first offering from me. I had not wanted a romance to get involved in this story, but the descriptions my brain keeps writing keep tugging it ever-so-gently in that direction. We'll see what happens, I suppose. **

**Onwards!**

Sarah felt as though she were walking _back_ into a dream. Or maybe a nightmare. _Wasn't I just here?_ She thought, _Didn't I _just_ escape this?_

The throne room was mercifully devoid of Goblins for the moment, but Sarah's only experience with the room had been a brief encounter on her way to face her foe on the Escher Stairs. There she had taken her leap of faith, rescued the child and faced up to her demon. Instead of trying to assert his power over her and defeat her, though, the Goblin King had done something altogether remarkable, hadn't he? In her book, the Goblin King hadn't asked for her love, he'd simply tried to intimidate her. In a way, that was exactly what he did. What 16-year-old girl wouldn't be smitten with a rock-star-like king. He ruled a magical land, possessed great power and seemed to show a genuine feeling for her, no matter how warped his way of showing it was. _Best not to think of that now, Sarah. Things are complicated enough with just trying to get him back on the throne, let's not worry about what his intentions are for you to boot. _She gave the owl a disdainful look as though he had done something wrong in that moment. In return, the owl ruffled his feathers up, looking comically surprised by the accusing stare.

Sarah almost laughed at the how ridiculous Jareth looked, but expected that to make things worse. Instead, she turned to Hoggle who was entering through the mirror behind her. Sarah was hardly startled to see him appear out of thin air. _One-Way, I see. Well, that's one means of escape gone._ "So, what do we do now? Do I start calling the shots right away, or does this king of yours have to tutor me first?"

A voice to Sarah's right startled her away from Hoggle. Entering the room stood the sternest looking man Sarah had ever seen. It was like his face had been chiseled simply to look in disdain at those around him. The term sharp did not do his feature justice, an Olympic skier would have had the ride of their life on that nose, and those eyebrows! She was reminded of immediately of illustrations she'd seen of Ebenezer Scrooge. There was no other way to describe him. He was wearing clothing in a similar fashion to Jareth's, but his pants were nowhere near as revealing, instead almost more along the lines of black slacks, and his hair was certainly not the wild mane that Jareth wore. Simply put, he looked far more _regal_ simply from his poise and attitude. "This king of _yours_ as well, dear." The voice, however, was wonderfully kind, in comparison.

Kind, though his voice was, there was a hint of malice in his eyes and Sarah felt her cheeks burning in shame at having clearly insulted the ruler of the Underground in her first moments here.

Jareth was hiding his head beneath his wing. _She's doomed_.

The awkward silence held but a moment longer, before the King of the Underground burst out laughing, and walked towards Sarah, arms raised in a clear intention of embrace. "Dear girl, don't be so alarmed, I'm sure you've had a rough day! I can forgive you this transgression." She allowed him to wrap his arms around her and the hug returned her confidence.

"Your Majesty, I certainly meant you no disrespect. Please except my sincerest apologies. I've not been quite myself." That was an understatement. Had it even been 24 hours yet? Time was funny in the Underground. She had been gone 13 hours, but seemed to have returned home hardly any time after she had originally left. _I have reordered time. I have turned the world upside down and I have done it all for you! _Maybe that's what he had meant. Surely turning the clock ahead on her journey hadn't constituted a favor in his eyes?

"Think nothing of it dear. Come, we have much to discuss!" The strange band headed back out the door to the left, and into a corridor lined with door after door, hallways leading off into dark distances and sharp turns that seemed to arise out of nowhere. _It's like we're back in the Labyrinth_, Sarah thought. "You'll get used to the castle," the King said, as though he had read Sarah's thoughts, "The castle opens itself to its ruler. It does not quite recognize you as such yet, however, so there will be some getting used to finding the path at first."

"Will learning magic be similar? Is it something that will just come to me with time?" Sarah was thinking of how long it would take her to learn the power that would send her home. _Great, I've been here 5 minutes and I'm already back on that again_.

"Magic is a gift hard to attain. I'm sure Jareth would tell you the same if he could speak." The owl shifted from foot to foot on Sarah's shoulder. She couldn't tell if it was in embarrassment or irritation, however. _Well, he knows Jareth's here. I wonder if that's going to be a problem._ "I can't say that I'm pleased to see him here with you. Once the preceding ruler is overthrown, they're meant to be banished to the Aboveground. Their punishment for losing their kingdom and powers to be an eternal bond with their champion, and eternal separation from them. But, I sense there's something different going on here this time."

The king stopped short on his walk down the seemingly unending hallways and looked at Sarah and the Owl with a twinkle in his eyes. "You didn't defeat Jareth in battle, did you?" It was a pointed question that didn't seem to really need an answer. It was Sarah's turn to shuffle from foot to foot. "He offered you his kingdom, didn't he? And you said no." The king's face now held a knowing smirk. With those eyebrows, it was impossible for him not to look menacing. "This _is_ going to be interesting. Shall we continue?"

Sarah couldn't speak any words, so she just nodded her head in a jerking motion of the affirmative.

Hoggle was fuming in the back of the pack. It had never occurred to him that _this_ was how Sarah had defeated the Goblin King. He had thought it strange that she had not simply regained her brother, but all of the Underground as well. He had assumed some final showdown had occurred inside the castle. No. Jareth had proposed to Sarah. It was almost more than the little dwarf could handle. How could there be any hope for him now?

After what seemed a handful of miles to Sarah, they finally reached a large set of double doors. As though by magic, and very likely that was the very cause, they opened inwards, unveiling the most majestic dining room Sarah had ever laid eyes on. Gold trappings lay everywhere. Aisle runners and table runners, carpet runners and upholstery, it was all a most brilliant, glittering gold. The silverware, though silver, sparkled and shone as well against the golden place settings and candelabras around the massive table. Sarah caught her reflection in a great guilded mirror across the way. In its frame were the most ornate carvings she had ever seen. All at once, she realized what the cherubic figures represented and her heart dropped into the pit of her stomach.

"The Wished Away Children," she let out in a breathy whisper. No...oh God, no. She couldn't. She couldn't possibly.

The King come up close beside her and placed a reassuring hand on the shoulder that wasn't already occupied by the Owl. "Yes. Sarah, these are your children, now. You must be the one to rescue them from those who do not love them enough to watch over and care for them."

Sarah whirled on the King of the Underground, the fiery heat of young anger blazing in her light green eyes, "I beg your pardon? How do you know the intentions of those who wish away the children?! How many mistakes have their been in the history of the Goblin Kingdom? I fought my way here, to the Castle Beyond the Goblin City, to save my brother after the Goblin King took him. Do intentions mean nothing to you people?" She had not meant to let her anger get a hold of her so strongly, or so quickly, but she found herself almost nose to pointy nose with the King by the end of her tirade. She was breathing hard and found herself suddenly so very tired. On her shoulder, the owl took in a deep breath as Hoggle did the same. This was _not_ going the way he had hoped at all.

For the second time that morning, the King of the Underground surprised them all by bursting out in laughter. "I can see why Jareth took such a liking to you." He was almost doubled over in his mirth, "My you _are_ a fiery one." Sarah could only look at him in bewildered confusion, beginning to wonder if the king was even sane. Noticing her look, the king struggled to compose himself. Coughing into his hand, he regained his regal height and manner, "I apologize M'lady, I'm just not used to being talked to in such a way, my can it be refreshing, but don't get used to it! My patience may not hold out forever." She noticed a glistening in his eyes as he spoke, and she knew these words were simply to regain a bit of his dignity. Something strange was going on around here.

"Now, as for your question. Do you know how many people who have wished the children in the care to the Goblins have fought with the passion and need that you have? Do you have any idea how many champions the Labyrinth has had in its 10s of thousands of years of existence? My memory recalls but 8 and none in the time of Jareth's 5,000 year rule before you. It grieves me to say so, Sarah, but you are one in a million. Many others who wish away their children do not do so in a slip of confused tongue, but with all the meaning in the universe behind their words." Sarah felt like crashing in on herself and enveloped herself into the nearest chair to prevent doing just that. She found herself resting her head in her hands, overwhelmed with the knowledge of how truly miraculous her journey had been. "Some do learn their lesson, as they travel through the Labyrinth, but once the words are said, there is nothing that can be done to change them. There are laws that dictate this world and the Above. To go against them would be disastrous to them both. This is the charge that has fallen on you, Dearest Sarah. You are not just Queen of the Underground, you are the guardian of lost children and the protector of both our worlds."

There was nothing for it, Sarah felt everything that had happened crashing in on her and her delicate psyche could take no more. With no warning, she collapsed from her chair in a semi-conscious daze.


End file.
